Running head: PHOENIX SOCIAL WORK AGENCY 1

Learning How to Manage an Everchanging Workforce

Cody Summers

Arizona State University

OGL300 - Module 3-4

April 11, 2022

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Modules 3-4 marked another advancement as we became more familiar with the logistics

of organizational leadership. At the forefront of this were situational leadership and the path-goal

theory. Situational leadership determined the competence of followers and the appropriate style

to suit them. Whereas path-goal theory applied similar styles while evaluating the needs of

followers and their surroundings. The case study, Phoenix Social Work Agency, is a charitable

organization that seeks to ease the suffering of at-risk children and reintegrate them back into

society.

At the central office, there are two supervisors, Alicia and Gwendolyn. Both have

an approach to compensate for varying levels of follower competence. For Alicia, she prioritizes

productivity and agency reimbursement, threatening employees if their performance is not up to

standard. By this, she exhibits the S1 leadership style, which means high directive and low

supportive behavior. Unfortunately, the followers do not categorize themselves within the D1

style of development. They are all college graduates with at least six weeks of job experience,

placing them in the D2 style. Signifying that they contain low to some competence and low

commitment, (Northouse, 2018, p.96-97). This is primarily due to the constant attrition in the

position.

Furthermore, the average case manager leaves after one year to fulfill their experience

requirements for another job with better working conditions. So, they lack motivation. On the

other hand, Gwendolyn offers autonomy with advice and support given only when necessary.

She demonstrates the S3 leadership style, displaying high supportive and low directive behavior,

(Northouse, 2018, p. 97). However, like Alicia, this style is not effective. While some employees

remain long enough to become moderately competent and committed to their job, they are in the
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minority. Instead, both leaders should utilize the S2 leadership style to coach their followers

through this experience.

As mentioned before, caseworkers view this organization as a steppingstone for

job opportunities down the line. One of the reasons for this is (a lack of) worker compensation.

Phoenix offers a starting wage of $17 per hour, insufficient for a college graduate. Assigning

twenty children weekly with overtime prohibited. Overall, it is a stressful work environment with

minimal rewards. As monetary compensation is disregarded, leaders navigate using the path-goal

theory to satisfy the remaining follower needs. And due to the varying nature of children they

encounter, many require a directive leadership style. That clarifies any ambiguities to illuminate

expectations and establish a clear plan of action. And with a relatively new employee base, this is

the most applicable.

On the other hand, while the employers cannot provide raises, they can adjust the

allocation of cases and prepare recommendation letters. By using the achievement-oriented

approach, skilled followers are encouraged to prove themselves. Rewarding this performance by

elevating their resume appeal and searching for better opportunities, performing the role of a

career counselor. Alicia’s approach served as something similar without the performance

benefits. However, as employees remain longer, some desire more control. Leaders, in this

instance, can employ the participative leadership style. Enabling them to offer suggestions on

how to approach the children, which cases suit managers better, or anything else. Ensuring that

their opinions feel appreciated. Lastly, others might struggle after seeing the children’s

situations. When that happens, the supportive leadership style helps to empathize with the

employee and reassure them of Phoenix’s purpose, (Northouse, 2018, p. 123). Gwendolyn used
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something similar to calm their minds whenever traumatizing situations occur. That hastened the

recovery process and immersed them into the workflow.

Typically, path-goal theory is the most effective leadership approach, but I

disagree here. At Phoenix, the employees were not well-compensated and often became stressed

due to their complex work obligations. This results in significant staff turnover every year, which

minimizes the overall competence. Because of that, the leaders rarely can become attached

enough to adapt to their needs. However, by employing situational leadership, most can be

covered with one approach. The coaching-style accounts for low commitment by simplifying the

process. Continuously training and integrating followers into their system.

In closing, the “Phoenix Social Work Agency” was a helpful excerpt to apply the

the teachings from modules 3-4. Their frequent employee turnover required leaders to adjust to

accommodate new members. Furthermore, this stressful work environment illuminated the

varying degrees of competence, desire, and concerns of these followers. And only by viewing

how their leaders, Alicia and Gwendolyn, manage them did the effective approach become clear.

This was just another case study, but the importance of understanding followers remained

prominent.
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Reference

Blanchard, K. (2019). A Situational Approach to Effective Leadership. The Ken Blanchard

Companies. Retrieved from https://resources.kenblanchard.com/blanchard-leaderchat/a-

situational-approach-to-effective-leadership

Cuofano, G. (2021). What Is Path-Goal Theory? Path-Goal Theory In A Nutshell.

FourWeekMBA. Retrieved from https://fourweekmba.com/path-goal-theory/

Northouse, P. Introduction to Leadership: Theory and Practice. 8th ed., SAGE, 2018.